History of the Bra

1907: It's All in the Name

American Vogue uses the word "brassiere" for the first time. A few years later, in 1911, it appears in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1914: Hand Me a Hanky

Mary Phelps Jacob, a New York City socialite, receives a patent for inventing the modern bra. She used two handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon to create the "Backless Brassiere." Although not the first design, it was definitely the first to be widely used. She eventually sold the patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company.

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1918: The Decline of the Corset

Surprisingly, World War I contributed to the decline of corset-use in America. American women entered the workforce in great numbers and the corset was deemed an impractical and awkward device that no longer seemed appropriate. The U.S. War Industries Board could also use the extra 28,000 tons of metal that corset manufacturing required. It was enough steel to make two battleships!

1920s: Hello, Cup Sizes

Maidenform is founded by Ida Rosenthal and husband William, who collaborated with Enid Bissett to create a bra with discernable cups. This bandeau-style top was contained a center piece of elastic that was sewn into dresses.

1947-1950s: The Cleavage Creating Years

Frederick Mellinger, the man behind Frederick's of Hollywood, wasn't just a businessman. We can also credit him for introducing women—and the world—to the first padded bra in 1947. A year later, boobs everywhere got a little lift with the first push-up bra, "The Rising Star." Mellinger is also responsible for the front-hook bra, colorful fashion bustiers, and, in non-breast-related news, introducing the thong to the American woman in the 1980s.

1968: The Bra Burners

Feminists protest the 1968 Miss America pageant, calling bras "instruments of female torture." Though the protesters meant to burn their bras, they weren't able to because of the police. Instead, they ended up throwing them into a garbage can, but the term "bra burners" stuck.

1977: The First Sports Bra

In the same year that Victoria's Secret was founded, Lisa Lindahl and childhood friend Polly Smith dreamed up the first sports bra out of two jock straps. The two teamed up with Hinda Miller—a clothing designer and avid runner like Lisa—and created the final product, which they named the Jogbra. Lisa and Hinda went on to create a company which manufactured and sold the product. Talk about an awesome DIY project.

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1977: The Dawn of Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret is founded by Stanford MBA Roy Raymond in San Francisco, CA. Turns out Raymond felt uncomfortable shopping for lingerie for his wife in a department store, so he made his own undergarments-only store. He sold Victoria's Secret to The Limited, Inc.(now Limited Brands) in 1982.

1990: The Cone Bra

Madonna rocks the cone bras and corsets designed by Jean Paul Gaultier for her Blond Ambition tour. Halloween costumes haven't been the same since.

2000: The Bra Goes Red Hot

Although first crafted for the 1996 Victoria Secret catalog, the fantasy bra has been worn by Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks at the Victoria Secret fashion shows. But it was Gisele Bundchen who modeled the most expensive version in 2000—the Red Hot Fantasy Bra, valued at $15 million. Made from red satin and hand-cut Thai rubies and diamonds, it's listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most extravagant and expensive items of underwear ever created.

2007: The Centennial

The bra turns 100!

2009: New Technology: A Memory Foam Bra

Lisca, a Slovenian company, creates the Smart Memory Bra. The cups of this bra are made from high-tech memory foam that reacts to body temperature and moves as you move. It sounds a lot like a Tempur-Pedic mattress, but in bra form.

2010: An Anti-Wrinkle Bra

La Decollette, a Dutch-designed bra, claims to smooth your existing cleavage wrinkles and prevent new ones from forming as you sleep. How does it work? It's cupless, with a middle piece of fabric (think of a sports bra, worn backwards) that separates the breasts, preventing the creases that inevitably form while you catch some Zs.

2011: As the Average Bra Size Increases, We Welcome a New Cup Size

In 1996, the average bra size was a 34B. Since then, the average has gone up three cup sizes and one band size to a 36DD.

So how have bra manufacturers reacted to the increasing size of American breasts? Their products have grown too. Recently, UK-based lingerie company Bravissimo created the L cup bra size to accommodate the requests for something larger than the existing KK cup. Another company, Goddess, sells bras up to an N cup.

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